Body Image

LEVEL: ADVANCED

Why:

Many people grow up unhappy about their bodies, thinking they need to be different. When we become aware of this trap and instead accept our bodies, we can find more happiness.

Warm-Up:

What messages do you notice (from friends, shows, movies, social media, etc) about what a body is supposed to look like to be attractive?

Exploration:

Body image means how you see and feel about your own body. Unfortunately most adolescents, and adults too, have a negative body image. In part this is from media, which gives us edited or unrealistic images of bodies and tells us those are ideal. We can help ourselves by learning and talking about body image, by becoming skeptical of how bodies are shown in media, and by noticing when we compare our body to others'. There is no one way to be beautiful. Look at the images you've seen, from Disney princesses to superheroes to social media influencers. Can you find one that shows positive body image and one that seems to be creating an unrealistic body image?

Additional Resources:

There are many excellent resources online, as well as movies and short videos exploring these topics. You may want to consider the films Miss Representation and The Mask You Live In. Note that these include relatively more mature content (more high school than middle school in some places), so make sure to review in advance.